Poor New Yorkers Get Citi Bike Discount

Citi Bike announced that it is offering a discounted annual membership rate to residents of NYCHA, New York City’s housing authority for low-income city residents. The catch is that currently only nine NYCHA housing developments are within CitiBike territory.

Citi Bike’s discounted fare is $60, an approximately 35 percent discount from the $95 regular annual price. The vast majority of low-income city residents live outside Citi Bike’s current territory, meaning it can’t replace their current vehicle or public transportation to the neighborhoods where the stations are located. This makes it an added cost for these residents. No planned stations have been announced outside the current areas already covered by Citi Bike.

In the areas that already have Citi Bike, the bike share system is definitely getting its bikes broken-in. The latest stats available show about 650,000 trips and approximately 1.6 million miles travelled by Citi Bike users. The majority of the stations are in Manhattan south of Central Park and a handful of Brooklyn neighborhoods near the East River. NYCHA has facilities in all five boroughs. Nine new stations are planned, according to Citi Bike’s website, and all are located in Manhattan.

The press release suggests that the membership can be used to save time on transfers and travel.

The release reads, “Whether Citi Bike replaces that extra subway or bus transfer, or just provides fitness and fun, we aim to help as many NYCHA residents as possible to get where they are going in an efficient and healthy way.”

Several events are planned for the NYCHA residences to encourage biking. The DOT will be giving away free helmets to further encourage more biking in the city.